Squeeze mop



Nov. 16, 1954 1, A. Brr'zER ET AL 2,694,210

SQUEEZEMOP Filed Nov. 14, 1949 A TTOHIVEYS SQUEEZE MOP lIack A. Bitzer, Lancaster, and Edwin N. Woistmann,

Buffalo, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation Application November 14, 1949, Serial No. 126,931

* 4 claims. (c1. 15-119) This invention relates to mops, and more particularly vto mops of thetype including cleaning elements fabritUnited States Patent() FCC,

opposite to that of the folding operation illustrated by prise a length ofmetal tubing 22 formed at one end with Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mop of the character described incorporating the aforesaid features, while being at the same time of simple and inexpensive construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

ln the drawing:

Fig. l is a central vertical sectional view of a mop embodying the present invention, showing fragmentarily a handle device attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1, on a reduced scale; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective View illustrating the mode of soil expulsion from the device; ahportin of the cover plate thereof being illustrated to be broken away so as to reveal the disposition of the cleaning element thereof.

As illustrated in the drawing, a mop embodying the features of the present invention may comprise a cleaning element in the form of a block of natural or synthetic sponge material such as is designated at 10, although it will be understood of course that the block 10 may be made of any other suitable liquid absorptive material, as may be preferred, such as sponge rubber or the llke. The element 10 may be of any desired shape, such as oblong as illustrated in the drawing, but in any case the element 10 will be disposed as illustrated in Figs. 1 2 in normally unbent condition, thereby providing upper and lower parallel surfaces 12-14 respectively.

The top surface 12 of the cleaning element 10 1s cemented as indicated at 15 or otherwise suitably attached separately to a pair of backing plates 16--18 which are complementary shaped in plan view to cooperate to substantially cover the top surface 12 of the sponge block 10. The plates 16-18 are substantially coextensive with the block 10 in lengthwise direction of the block, and plate 16 backs up about one-half the width of block 10 while plate 18 backs up substantially the remainder thereof and is formed with a flange 19 which extends in overlapping relation with respect to the plate 16. Thus, it will be appreciated that inasmuch as the plates 16-18 are separately cemented to opposite sides of the block 10, the latter is adapted to function as a hinge device interconnecting the plates 16-18 so that the latter may be folded about an axis extending centrally and longitudinally of the block 10 as into the condition illustrated by Fig. 3. In this latter condition, the plates 16--18 may be manually squeezed together as illustrated in Fig. 3 so as to cause absorbed liquid within the sponge to be expelled therefrom as indicated at 20.

However, as illustrated by Fig. 1, the overhanging ange portion 19 of the plate 18 is adapted to function as an abutment device against the plate 16 so as to prevent reverse folding of the cleaning unit in a direction a flat'and angularly bent section 24 which is suitably apertured to receive a bolt 25 and wing nut 26; the bolt 251dheing rst fitted through the backplate 18 as shown inv igil.

We have determined that mop devices constructed in accord with the foregoing are subject to the disadvantage that `the sponge block member 10 is subjected to rupturing tendencies incidental to the folding and squeezing operations thereon, and that such folding and squeezing operations tend to break the sponge block along the line of lfaldifg commencing at the top surface portion 12 of the In order to avoid such tendencies to rupture the block 10, we undercut the backing plates 16-18 along the line of folding, as indicated at 28-29 and provide a supplementary hinge device which may take the form of one or more tension members 30 which arecemented to the top surface of the sponge block 10 so as to span the zone of folding thereof. For example, as shown in the drawing the supplementary hinge device may comprise a pair of strips of textile fabric or plastic or leather or the like which are glued to the top surface 12 of the sponge block in spaced relation so as to traverse the zone of folding of the block during the folding and squeezing operations referred to hereinabove; and it will be understood that inasmuch as the member or members 30 are capable of resisting forces in tension the supplementary hinge device is adapted to function to reinforce the top portion of the block 10 against tension forces thereon during the folding and squeezing operation referred to so as to prevent rupturing of the block 10. The free space provided between the top surface of the block 10 and the backing plate 16-18 as provided by the cut out portions 28-29 assists in accommodating the folding of the block.

Thus, the invention provides means for greatly increasing the life of the sponge block in mop devices of the character referred to, and it will be appreciated that the improvement of the present invention is inexpensive to attain and may be incorporated in the manufacture of such mops without substantially increasing the cost thereof. lt will of course be appreciated that although only one specific form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a mop, a cleaning element of resilient absorptive material for normal use in dat condition, a pair of overlapping rigid backing plates secured in side-by-side relation to one surface of said cleaning element whereby upon folding of said cleaning element in one direction said backing plates will be disposed at opposite sides of said folded cleaning element and when pressed will apply a squeezing pressure to said folded cleaning element, one of said backing plates having a portion overlapping the other of said backing plates and bearing thereagainst when said cleaning element is in substantially flat condition to function as an abutment device preventing folding of said cleaning element in the opposite direction, and a exible tension member resistant to tensional distortion cemented to said one surface of said cleaning element so as to traverse the zone of folding thereon and resist forces in tension applied thereto.

2. A mop as set forth in claim 1, wherein said overlapping backing plates are recessed in the zone of folding of said cleaning element to accommodate the latter during folding thereof.

3. A mop as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tension member comprises a strip of fabric cemented to said "cleaningselement 4. In a mop, a cleaning element of resilient absorptive material adapted for normal use in iat condition, a pair cleaning.'e1ernent,` one 'of said bactkingplates' beingformed zwith .a ange .portionextending over and t bearing 1 against "thetother of.said backingrplates .when saidcleaningfelement is :in substantially :aticondition .and thereby Vform- ,ingan Aabutment `device vpreventing folding.y of t said cleaning element in a direction opposite said one Idirection, .-.sairl .one ,backin g plate @having 1 means :for Aattachment to 4a :handle member and :serving t to atransfer ymopping apressure l'fromga handle directly to; said cleaningelement and .through-said ange portion :to saidzother 'backing :plate and vtherethrough :to said .cleaning ielement, .and 4ilexible 4 tension means resistant to tensional distortion secured to `-said oxtie^snrlace 'of said 'cleaning elementfacrossthezone of folding thereof whereby to resist forces in tension applied thereto and prevent' tearing thereof during a folding and squeezing operation.

References Citedlintheiile of this patent UNITED :STATES ylwrnNTs .Number `Name Date 11,994,939 Boulton Mar. 19, -1935 '2,044,075 Jelenfy 'June $16, '1936 2,191,642 "Carvalho Feb. '27, 1940 2,204,203 Zimmerman ,lune l1.1, .1940 2,469,060 Vosbikian et al May 3, 1949 2,486,102 @Berndsen Oct. 25, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date :596,139 Germany ....l Apr. 2.7., 11934 6l-7,197 Germany ....,.'Aug. 1:14, V1523-5 .807,925 lFrance Jan. .-2-5, 21937 

